Whispers
by dragonfire onna
Summary: [COMPLETE] Oneshot, centered around Naruto's lonely thoughts and feelings.


**AN:** Alright, here's the deal: this is a songLESS songfic. What is a 'songless songfic' you ask? It's basically a fanfic that's based on (and inspired by) a song. When people write songfics, they often rely too much on the song itself to make the story move, so I was presented with a challenge to see if I can overcome this.

**Now here's your challenge:** do you know what song lyrics have inspired this songfic?

It's a song most of you have probably never heard in your life, or never paid much attention to. I'll post the lyrics and the song at the bottom. By the way, you don't need to know the song to understand this short oneshot.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything to do with Naruto. Nor do I own the lyrics to the song that inspired this. xP

* * *

**Whispers**

_dragonfire onna_

* * *

Naruto kicked his feet up off the ground and pumped his legs back and forth in a swinging motion, his body following leisurely as an added effect to boost his height and speed. A warm grin spread across his face, and he shut his ocean-blue eyes in sheer happiness. Wind swept the land and whistled gleefully past the blond, playfully toying with the idle grass. This was his favorite place to come, next to the Hokage monuments of course, but lately it was also a source of internal pain.

The light smile faded slowly from his face when the wind left him momentarily alone. Lightly clutching the area of his shirt above his heart, Naruto bowed his head and studied the ground in pensive thought, a saddened expression plaguing his normally cheerful face. The wind returned, singing a different, colder tune, and old feelings came with it. Bitterness. Sorrow. Loneliness....

Distant voices drifted his way from the direction of the Ninja Academy, the class he was suppose to be attending at the moment. Perhaps it had let out earlier considering this was graduation day. Again, he failed....

"I passed! I was able to create five clones! Do you see my forehead protector?"

"I'm proud of you, son! You'll make a great Chuunin someday." An older man with a short, choppy, dark-gray beard and his son rounded the corner, a hand proudly ruffling the younger boy's wild hair. The son hastily pushed the hand off his head and beamed up at the shiny metal headband with the Leaf Village's symbol neatly welded into the middle. It was a perfect father-son moment.

"I promise to become strong enough to protect Konoha, just like you Dad! Maybe even become Hokage!" The old man's eyes sparkled as they disappeared around the gate.

Naruto dropped his feet and skidded to a sudden halt on the swing, kicking up a small bit of dirt in the process. The cold wind had long since stopped, but the feelings it had brought were still fresh and burning hurtfully inside. More people began to pour out of the academy to meet up with their parents, including his not-so-secret crush, Sakura. Her light pink hair flowed airily in the breeze. She was naturally beautiful, and, more than anything, Naruto wished he could be congratulating her on her success, but she was surrounded by friends and family. Normally that would not stop him, but... he didn't feel he belonged there. He was out of place---an outcast.

She graduated---there was no doubt about that, probably second only to Sasuke, number one ninja rookie of the year. Eight clones, he overheard her tell the people around her. Her parents swooped down and enveloped her into a tight bear hug, nearly smothering her with their clothes.

The wind was being particularly, and almost uncharacteristically, jeering today; Sakura's ribbon untangled itself from beneath her hair and dislodged itself. The wind played with it, watching as she chased after it, jumping up and down and flailing her arms to catch it. The maroon ribbon lazily skidded on the ground and latched itself onto Naruto's feet.

Naruto's eyes widened as he stared down at the band, then up into the face of Sakura. His heart skipped a beat, and suddenly he was drenched in a cold sweat. She was yards from him, at a still. Her parents behind her reached out for her shoulder and dragged her back in between them, protectively. They held those same eyes... the eyes everyone looked at him with. Naruto fought back any trace of tears as he bent down and picked up his crush's hair ribbon. Naruto held it out to the girl, waiting for her to take it. However, her parents protested loudly when she moved to retrieve the lost item.

"You don't need that petty ribbon anymore. You've got the ninja forehead protector now!"

"Don't, Sakura! Please," her mother pleaded, but Sakura ignored them.

Naruto didn't understand it; everyone looked at him with those distant, hateful eyes. Everywhere he went, the people of Konoha village glared at him and whispered behind raised hands as if he couldn't hear them and he didn't have a clue what they were talking about. Even the other children did not acknowledge him any more than their parents. No one saw him for what he was.

"Sakura-chan, I..." She looked curiously at him, as if judging him.

"You're not acting like yourself today," she said pointedly, a light smile on her face. She must have been in a cheerful mood because she never approached him like this before. Did she know he failed? Was she feeling sorry for him? Was that why she was being so nice to him all of a sudden? He didn't need her useless pity if she was.... He was going to become Hokage one day, and nothing was going to stop him from accomplishing his dream. He'd make everyone stop looking at him like he was lower than dirt and they were so much better than him. They'd acknowledge his strength and presence... they had to, or he'd fade away.... Naruto forced himself to act more jovial.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan." He grinned and smiled goofily, handing the ribbon back to her.

He turned to leave without so much as a goodbye. They were talking about him again; he could feel it. It wasn't just Sakura's parents anymore, but all the parents that now noticed he was there.

"He's _the_ kid. The monst---"

"Shhh! You know we can't talk about that."

"It was a good thing he did not pass the exam or he'd just cause more trouble. Did you see what he did to the Hokage monuments yesterday? What an awful thing to do."

Naruto calmly, determinedly, kept on going, stuffing his hands angrily in his pockets, disregarding their comments and thoughts. He had long since built up a wall to protect himself against everyone. He didn't care what others thought of him. He wanted attention, so he got it through the only way he knew how: acting like a clown and causing a bit of mischief. They only knew he existed through his 'crimes.' It's not like he ever hurt anyone though....

They just didn't understand him.

Naruto slowly headed to his lonely home, sensing eyes on his back as he walked by. His fist clenched and unclenched in his pockets. Why was all this getting to him today, of all days too? He never let it bother him so much before.

More whispers.

"Hokage, you say? He will never be able to accomplish such a task. Hokage is the title that goes to the strongest ninja in the village. What a dreamer." Naruto paused, his mind urging his feet to keep putting one foot in front of the other, but his heart held control over his bodily functions.

Before thinking about any consequences, Naruto blurted out, "What would you know!?" and took off running down the path to his home, unregretful of his words. He darted through a surprised crowd and dodged a few locals' grasps. He knocked over a few people but did not stop to help them up.

_'I will become Hokage, and people will acknowledge me!'_

"Heartless monster!" was one of a few insults thrown at him.

Naruto never knew what love was; with no parents and family, how could he? He was never exposed to love like all his classmates were, yet he was judged by the same standards as they were. Was it really he who needed to change? Even as a little child, people would ignore him, like he was never there at all. He was forced to watch as families went by, hand in hand, and how the parents gave them gifts and spoiled them. The mother would smile affectionately at their kid as the father put them on his shoulders....

Naruto just wanted the same....

He never did anything to deserve their indignant behavior. He was automatically hated and treated as an outsider... not a single person in the world understood him, and he longed deeply to be accepted. Friends were a necessary part of life, but no one was willing to get close enough. Insults like 'monster' and 'freak' were a common part of his life.

No one cared about him. It was like he wasn't even there....

"Wait, Naruto!"

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto was stunned to see his teacher running after him, an arm in the air waving after him. When he caught up to him, Iruka kneeled over, breathing heavily. "What are you doing here?"

"How about we go together and get some ramen tonight?" Naruto's eyes visibly brightened, and he let out a blissful laugh.

"Really!?"

* * *

Naruto loudly slurped at his ramen (the other customers, appalled, scooted away from him), smiling down greedily at his newly filled bowl. This was his favorite ramen place, and he came here when ever he got the chance.

"Naruto, I'm sorry about failing you...." Iruka said slowly. The slurping sound discontinued.

Silence.

Iruka darted a quick glance at Naruto but could not make out his eyes. His bangs covered them, hiding his thoughts. Clearing his throat, Iruka dared to go on, and explained his actions as though they were justifiable. "I just want you to be strong. Staying at the academy another year is the best thing for you right now."

Again, nothing.

"I recognize you as one of my strongest students, Naruto, but you are just not ready to graduate... and I just want you to be happy. I, too, was once like you... I was an orphan, and I sought for acknowledgement by being the class clown because I wouldn't get any attention by being on my best behavior. Even though Hokage is extremely difficult to attain, I believe you can do it if you keep working hard."

Naruto looked up, his eyes studying Iruka's intensely. A new feeling was stirring inside the pit of his stomach, but he couldn't make it out. Happiness? No, not quite....

Relief.

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei." Was this real? Was he really hearing this? He must be dreaming... only in dreams did this ever come true, but if it was a dream, he didn't want to ever wake up. And he never planned on giving up on his dream of becoming Hokage! He was determined to prove to everyone he was capable of it, not that he cared what others thought; he never had. Deep down, he knew he had it inside himself...

"Hm?"

"Thank you for believing in me." A small grin formed on both teacher and student's lips, as though it were a contagious disease. The others in the world suddenly seemed to disappear as Naruto stared at his teacher, and it was just the two of them.

Everything was finally going to be alright.

* * *

These are the lyrics. I hope they fit my story.

**SONG:** I'm Still Here

**BAND:** the Goo Goo Dolls.

I fell in love with the song through the Disney movie "Treasure Planet"... Disney DID make that movie, right? xP

I am a question to the world

Not an answer to be heard

Or a moment that's held in your arms

And what do you think you'd ever say?

I won't listen anyway

You don't know me

And I'll never be want you want

Me to be

And what do you think you'd understand?

I'm a boy, no, I'm a man

You can take me and throw me away

And how can you learn what's never shown?

Yeah, you stand here on your own

They don't know me

'Cause I'm not here

I want a moment to be real

Want to touch things I don't feel

Want to hold on and feel I belong

And how can the world want me to change?

They're the ones that stay the same

They don't know me

'Cause I'm not here

And you see the things they never see

All you wanted, I could be

Now you know me

And I'm not afraid

And I want to tell you who I am

Can you help me be a man?

They can't break me

As long as I know who I am

I want a moment to be real

Want to touch things I don't feel

Want to hold on and feel I belong

And how can the world want me to change?

They're the ones that stay the same

They don't know me

But I'm still here

They can't tell me who to be

'Cause I'm not what they see

Yeah, the world is still sleeping

While I keep on dreaming for me

And the words are just whispers and lies

That I'll never believe

And I want a moment to be real

Want to touch things I don't feel

Want to hold on and feel I belong

How can they say I never change?

They're the ones that stay the same

I'm the one now

'Cause I'm still here

I'm the one son still here

I'm still here

I'm still here

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So W.I.S.E. up! **R**ead a story, **R**eview a story, **R**evive a fandom!

Also, please tell me what you think!

1) Did I over/under do something in my writing?

2) How was my grammar?

3) Was there anything you didn't understand or wanted to have more knowledge of?

4) Did anything seemed rushed (like the ending)?

Yeah, so please review to tell me what you think I can take any type of review, besides pointless flames. I wrote this to improve my writing skills, so please tell me how I can


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